matburnout.com is not a medical publisher, but we hold ourselves to clear editorial standards. Here is what they are.
Our editorial principles
Every article, guide, or research summary published on matburnout.com is reviewed against four principles: accuracy, clarity, usefulness, and honesty about uncertainty.
- Accuracy: Claims are sourced from peer-reviewed research, large-scale surveys, or established clinical organisations. We link to primary sources wherever possible.
- Clarity: We write in plain language. We do not use jargon unless it is explained. We do not reach for dramatic framing when accurate framing is available.
- Usefulness: We ask whether a reader will leave knowing something actionable or meaningful. Content that is technically accurate but practically useless does not meet our bar.
- Honesty about uncertainty: Where the evidence is mixed or weak, we say so. We do not present contested findings as settled science.
Who writes the content
All content on matburnout.com is written or reviewed by Mat Gil, who spent 20 years in the corporate world before experiencing burnout and has since dedicated significant time to understanding the research literature on occupational burnout, recovery, and workplace wellbeing.
Mat is not a psychologist or medical professional. Where clinical expertise is required — for example, in distinguishing burnout from depression, or in discussing treatment options — we cite and link to qualified clinical sources and are explicit about the limits of our perspective.
Sources we rely on
We primarily draw on:
- Peer-reviewed research published in academic journals
- Reports from established organisations: WHO, APA, NHS, NIOSH, Gallup, Deloitte
- Validated measurement instruments including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
- Longitudinal workforce surveys with robust sample sizes
We link to sources at the bottom of every article. Where we use statistics, we try to specify the source, sample size, and date.
Our lens: performance engineering, not clinical psychology
matburnout.com approaches burnout as peer-to-peer performance engineering and systemic workflow design — a way of examining how a person's operating model, workload, and recovery systems fit together, and where they break down. This is deliberately distinct from clinical psychology and medical treatment.
In practice, that means we write about burnout as a systemic operational failure — a mismatch between sustained demand and the personal operating architecture meant to sustain it — rather than as a diagnosis. Our guidance is about redesigning workflows, boundaries, and recovery, drawn from lived experience and research, not from a clinical relationship. It complements professional care; it does not replace it.
What we are not
matburnout.com is not a medical service. Our content — including the Burnout Quiz and any associated reports — is educational in nature and does not constitute medical, psychological, or psychiatric advice. We are explicit about this throughout the site.
We do not diagnose. We do not prescribe. We help people understand what may be happening for them and point toward appropriate resources — including professional support when that is what is needed.
Updates and corrections
We update content when new research meaningfully changes our understanding, or when we identify errors. Corrections are made transparently. If you spot something that appears incorrect, please contact us at mat@matburnout.com.
Commercial relationships
matburnout.com offers paid reports and assessment tools. These are always clearly labelled. Our editorial content is not influenced by commercial considerations. We do not accept sponsored content or paid placements.
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